


from the top of my lungs

by Acadjonne



Category: Kingdom Hearts (Video Games)
Genre: Kairi Is A Good Friend (Kingdom Hearts), Land of Departure (Kingdom Hearts), M/M, Mutual Pining, Mysterious Tower (Kingdom Hearts), Necklace Theory is also mentioned, Oblivious Sora (Kingdom Hearts), Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pining Riku (Kingdom Hearts), Post-Kingdom Hearts III, Riku Is Bad at Feelings (Kingdom Hearts), Riku Loves Sora (Kingdom Hearts), Roxas and Sora Are Siblings (Kingdom Hearts), Roxas and Ventus Are Siblings (Kingdom Hearts), Sora & Ventus & Roxas are Siblings (Kingdom Hearts), Sora Loves Riku (Kingdom Hearts), Sora and Ventus are Siblings (Kingdom Hearts), Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Supportive Terra (Kingdom Hearts), Terra is basically Riku's older brother now, i mean they consider each other as such anyway
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-25
Updated: 2020-11-24
Packaged: 2021-03-09 03:34:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,136
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27197209
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Acadjonne/pseuds/Acadjonne
Summary: Kairi is the first one to notice the mark on Sora’s wrist.“Sora!” Kairi exclaims, and her voice is a combination of fond and exasperated. “Is this a real tattoo?” She pulls his wrist closer, studying the mark intently.The outline of the crown is dark as the black ink stands out against the skin of Sora’s wrist. It matches the pendant of his necklace perfectly.“It’s a magic tattoo.” Even Sora himself doesn’t sound entirely convinced.Kairi raises an eyebrow at him, clearly unimpressed.
Relationships: Kairi & Riku & Sora (Kingdom Hearts), Kairi & Riku (Kingdom Hearts), Kairi & Sora (Kingdom Hearts), Riku & Terra (Kingdom Hearts), Riku/Sora (Kingdom Hearts), Roxas & Sora & Ventus (Kingdom Hearts), Roxas & Sora (Kingdom Hearts), Sora & Ventus (Kingdom Hearts)
Comments: 13
Kudos: 73





	1. in the business of souls

**Author's Note:**

> so my singular brain cell had half an idea and ran with it, and now here we are. i'm working on more of this as we speak, i just thought maybe getting the first part out would help me motivation, since school and work have been kinda sapping it from me lately. hopefully it's okay, i'm really attached to everything about this story now.

Kairi is the first one to notice the mark on Sora’s wrist. He’s only been back in the Land of Departure for about ten minutes, long enough to ditch his jacket and gloves after Donald and Goofy dropped him off and wander into the kitchen for a snack before he goes to find Aqua and Ventus. 

Somehow, in the process of getting the ingredients together for a mug cake (including stealing a mug which reads “ _ bitchin _ ” across the side and thus probably belongs to Vanitas), the mark goes unnoticed. Kairi even teases Sora over the mug theft, bumping their shoulders together. 

It’s only when Sora reaches out to retrieve his snack that Kairi grabs onto his wrist.

“Sora!” Kairi exclaims, and her voice is a combination of fond and exasperated. “Is this a  _ real _ tattoo?” She pulls his wrist closer, studying the mark intently. 

The outline of the crown is dark as the black ink stands out against the skin of Sora’s wrist. It matches the pendant of his necklace perfectly.

Sora brings his free hand up to rub at the back of his neck, shrugging. “Well, it’s been like a week and it hasn’t washed off yet, so..?”

“Can I touch it?” Kairi asks, and Sora nods. Gently, she runs her fingers over the mark, surprised at the raised feeling of it. “It looks really well healed for only a week. Did it hurt?”

Sora shakes his head. “Not really? I barely even felt it, to be honest.” 

He’d noticed a slight stinging on his wrist, like he’d scraped it against something, when he’d left the gummiship during a short check-up mission to a world called Acadia. By the time he’d thought to see what it was, he’d realized that almost everyone in Acadia had marks on their wrists. 

He’d assumed it was just World Order magic kicking in, and as such, hadn’t even bothered to tell Donald or Goofy. “I didn’t think it would even still be there,” Sora adds. Usually magic wears off as soon as he gets back onto the gummiship.

Kairi’s eyebrows narrow suspiciously at Sora, and she lets go of his wrist to cross her arms. “Sora, tattoos  _ hurt _ , especially places like hands and wrists, and they’re  _ permanent _ . Or do you not remember the lecture Isa gave Axel the last time he went to Radiant Garden on his own?”

Axel had come back with a bandage on the back of his left hand, and when he’d removed it the next day,  _ everyone _ who’d been at the Land of Departure had heard Isa berating him. Axel’s explanation of the tattoo’s meaning didn’t stop Isa’s annoyance at his impulsive choice, but Roxas and Xion had reacted much more happily, with a hug from the former and overwhelmed happy tears from the latter.

A bright red flaming chakram, with three hearts at the centre: one for Isa, one for Roxas, and one for Xion. According to Axel, he’d been waiting for over a year to get it, and it was the most meaningful thing he could think of, to have representations of his best friends right there on his skin for all to see.

But Sora’s wrist marking isn’t like Axel’s tattoo. The easiest way to think of to describe it to Kairi is to say, “it’s a magic tattoo.” Even Sora himself doesn’t sound entirely convinced.

Kairi raises an eyebrow at him, clearly unimpressed.

“It  _ is _ !” Sora insists, puffing his chest. “The World Order magic on my last mission kicked in. I don’t know why I still have it, though.”

Kairi grabs onto Sora’s wrist again, this time pulling him along behind her. “We’re telling Aqua about this,” she says, with no room for argument in her voice.

Sora is barely able to grab onto his mug cake before he’s dragged away.

* * *

Aqua turns out to be just as confused about the mark’s continued existence on Sora’s wrist as the brunet himself.

Aqua pokes at the mark on Sora’s wrist, feels at the raised edges, waves her keyblade over it, and even has Sora use an elixir to see if that might make the mark go away. Stubbornly, the crown tattoo remains.

Through the whole process, Sora keeps trying to insist that he’s fine, though Aqua just nods and continues her experimentation. Thankfully, it’s only the two of them right now. 

Aqua had been watching Terra and Ven spar when Kairi dragged Sora over, and soon after that, as if he could sense that Sora had taken his mug, Vanitas had arrived. Five minutes and one reclaimed mug later, Terra had herded Ven, Vanitas, and Kairi back inside, leaving Sora alone with Aqua.

Eventually, Aqua gently lets go of Sora’s wrist, taking a step back. “I hate to say this, Sora, but maybe you should ask Master Yen Sid about this.” Aqua says, voice apologetic.

Aqua’s opinion on Master Yen Sid had soured somewhat in the year Sora had vanished, a turn of events stemming from the Wayfinder Trio finding out from Riku and Kairi the circumstances of Sora’s journey, and his failed Mark of Mastery exam. 

It’s soured a bit more since Sora’s return, with his retaking of the exam a second time with Axel. Sora and Axel had both thrown themselves into the exam with enthusiasm and determination, and both performed admirably. However, as before, Sora had failed; Yen Sid had told him it was because he had not fully recovered his powers and his strength.  _ Again _ . Axel had passed, though, to everyone’s congratulations, but it had still stung for Sora.

Aqua had offered to name Sora as a Master herself, since Yen Sid seemingly wouldn’t, and Riku didn’t quite have the authority to do so himself. Sora had more than earned the title after saving the Worlds from Darkness so many times. He’d appreciated the offer, and he’d told Aqua as much, but he’d declined. 

Now, in such a peaceful time, there was no real rush. Besides, Sora had argued, he didn’t need the formality of a title to help those who needed it.

Hesitant or not, though, Aqua’s suggestion to go see Master Yen Sid is certainly sound. If anyone would be able to tell what kind of magic is holding the mark onto Sora’s wrist, it’s Master Yen Sid.

* * *

It quickly becomes a reunion of the Guardians of Light, the trip to the Mysterious Tower. Everyone is just a little bit worried about Sora, which is understandable given the fact that he’s currently got a mark of unknown origin and intent on his wrist. It’s especially understandable that everyone’s worried after what happened in the aftermath of the Keyblade Graveyard two years ago.

Still, Master Yen Sid’s office is cramped with thirteen people inside. Sora is more or less crushed against his desk, with Kairi to his left, Donald to his right, and Riku and Goofy behind him. Axel, Roxas, Xion, Terra, and Ventus are at the edges of the group, wherever they can find room to stand. Mickey and Aqua flank Master Yen Sid’s chair on either side.

They all listen quietly, for the most part, as Sora reiterates his story about the mark and it’s continued existence. The only real interruption is Donald crossing his arms and telling Sora sternly, “World Order magic doesn’t hurt, Sora!”

Yen Sid waves a hand to calm Donald, though he does nod once. “Donald is correct, Sora. World Order magic is quite painless, and most certainly does not last long after departure from a world in need of it. May I?”

Yen Sid does not so much as touch Sora while examining the mark, simply watches it intently, and holds a hand steadily over it. Sora stands as still as he can, trying not to fidget or show his nerves.

After several tense moments, Yen Sid settles back into his chair. He doesn’t say anything, simply closes his eyes for a moment, before opening them again in a slow blink.

“Master?” asks the King, concern clear in his voice. Yen Sid turns his gaze onto Sora once more.

“It appears the mark is tied directly to Sora’s heart,” says Yen Sid. All at once, everyone begins to make noise; shuffling and humming and trying to speak. Yen Sid lifts a hand to silence them all again. “It seems to be a bond of some kind, though I cannot tell to whom or what it might lead. It does not appear to be harming Sora presently, at any rate.”

After reconfirming with Sora that the mark appeared while he was in Acadia, Yen Sid dismisses everyone from his office, save King Mickey and Aqua, though he does ask them all to stay at the tower until an answer can be found.

Riku finds himself hoping that the answer comes sooner, rather than later.

While the other masters deliberate and all their friends scatter around the tower, Riku finds his way to the library, where he’d been before everyone had arrived. While he’s held the title of Keyblade Master for more than two years now, his technical knowledge of the many Worlds and their workings is still largely unknown to Riku. As such, he generally tends to spend his time outside of missions going between the Land of Departure and the Mysterious Tower.

Lately, though, with his feelings so clear and weighing on his mind, he’s fallen a bit behind on his study of other worlds’ customs as his mind wanders to other matters. It doesn’t help that the magic in the tower means the library is semi-sentient and it in turn seems to want Riku to just  _ confess _ already. That’s what he assumes the book it keeps leaving around for him to find means.

When Riku gets back to his table at the library, the same book is once again waiting for Riku, laying innocently on his chair.  _ Hearts and their Bonds _ , reads the cover, with no other features to define it. Riku looks down at it for a moment, considering, before slowly picking it up. He wonders if maybe there’s a mention of the paopu legend inside.

The page Riku opens the book on does not mention the Destiny Islands or their star-shaped fruit. Instead, the name at the top of the page, dark and bold, is  **_Acadia_ ** . Riku nearly drops the book. After a moment, and a quick skim of the contents of the page, Riku really does drop the book.

It lands spine-up on the floor, but the words still haunt Riku.  _ Soulmate marks _ , he’d seen,  _ one of the most powerful types of heartbonds in existence. _

Riku feels like his heart has stopped beating, a heavy weight in his chest.

* * *

It takes Riku a few moments to gather his bearings again, but when he does, he takes the book straight back to the Master’s study.

Master Yen Sid carefully reads over the passage Riku presents to him before he holds out a hand. From across the room, another book floats over, and Master Yen Sid carefully reads over a passage from this book as well. His sharp gaze then turns abruptly to Riku before him.

“Riku,” says Master Yen Sid, “if you could please retrieve Sora?” Riku does as he is asked.

Sora is seemingly nonplussed about the whole fiasco, smiling brightly at Riku when he finds him in their shared room and following Riku back to the Master’s study. The facade slips for a moment when Riku steps away, but then Sora relaxes when it becomes clear that Riku is not leaving the room.

Master Yen Sid is very blunt with his prognosis, simply stating the facts about the true nature of Sora’s mark. Sora frowns when he’s told, looking intently down at the mark on his wrist.

“A soulmate mark?” he asks slowly, “like, true love?”

The King shakes his head, stepping forward. “Not necessarily, Sora. While it definitely is about hearts and love, it doesn’t always have to be that kind of love.”

Aqua nods. “You care so much about all of your friends, Sora, and we all care about you, too. It could easily be any one of us.”

Sora still doesn’t quite look convinced, so Riku steps forward, putting his hand on Sora’s shoulder. Sora turns back to look at him.

“It’s like Mickey told me once,” Riku says softly, “sometimes you care so much for someone that other feelings disappear. This is just about finding that person.”

Riku can feel Mickey’s gently gaze turning to him, but his attention is completely held by the way Sora’s wide eyes stare intently back at him. Riku’s traitorous heart soars at the attention, and some part of him wants to preen under it, the way Sora’s focus is on  _ Riku _ .

The moment is broken by Master Yen Sid, uncaring of the state of Riku’s feelings. “While we now know the origin and meaning of the mark thanks to Riku, we still do not know why it appeared on Sora’s wrist in the first place.”

Aqua nods, elaborating, “Since Sora isn’t from Acadia himself, there’s no apparent reason as to why his heart manifested the mark. Even if it seems benign now, we can’t know for sure if it will stay that way.”

“Gosh,” says the King, “maybe someone should make their way down to Acadia to see if we can’t figure any of this out.”

Master Yen Sid nods. “Precisely what I was thinking, Mickey. Perhaps you and Riku could make the journey?”

Riku squares his shoulders and nods, and Mickey answers with an affirmative, but Sora looks unsure. He places a hand firmly on Riku’s arm.

“Riku, are you sure that’s safe? I mean, look what happened to me!” Sora says, and Riku shakes his head. He plasters his bravest smile onto his face.

“You’ve been fine so far, Sora. I’ll be alright.” Riku is trying to go for teasing, but it doesn’t land if Sora’s widening eyes are any indication. Riku wisely decides to backpedal a bit.

“Sora, everything will be okay, I promise. Mickey and I can handle it.” Riku says earnestly. The trip to Acadia is more than likely going to entail a lot of reading from big, old, scholarly books, and not much else, which is something Sora would find dreadfully dull.

Sora looks a little bit placated, but not totally. He does let go of Riku’s arm and take a step back, allowing Riku space to walk away if he so desires. “Fine, but you’d better let me know how you’re doing every once in a while!” Sora insists. Riku nods, a shy smile tugging at his lips.

It never ceases to amaze Riku whenever Sora shows how much he cares about him.

* * *

Sleep does not come easy for Sora that night.

Riku, packed and ready to leave for Acadia with the King, went to bed early. Sora shoots a glance at him from across the room. His hair looks almost blond from the reflection of the warm, soft light of Sora’s lamp, and his expression is peaceful.

Sora tears his gaze away from Riku, and looks down at his wrist again. After the decision was made to send Riku and the King to Acadia for further answers, Sora was able to see the book in which the initial answer had been found. It hadn’t given him much clarity over who might potentially be on the other side of the mark’s bond, despite Sora’s optimism.

According to the short passage, the marks would bind an individual’s heart to whoever they were closest to. For Sora, however, that still leaves nearly half his main friend group. Ventus, Vanitas, Roxas, Xion, and Kairi have all spent varying periods of time inhabiting Sora’s heart. Not to mention Riku, who is not only Sora’s best and oldest friend, but who also has a dream eater link with Sora. The mark being a crown makes Sora think it’s more likely Riku or Kairi, though if he uses that trait to narrow down his options, he finds his opinion getting skewed.

Though Kairi is a Princess of Heart, she’s never really worn a crown, nor was she ever the actual princess of Radiant Garden. Besides all that, the crown mark on his wrist matches Sora’s necklace so exactly that it’s uncanny. It’s most definitely a crown, and not a tiara like he’d kind of expect if it were Kairi.

Sora was five years old and Riku was six when they stayed overnight on the play island to watch a meteor shower. It is Sora’s oldest memory, the first thing in his life that he can confirm is truly a real event that he lived through. 

He remembers laying on his back in the sun-bleached sand by their leaning paopu tree, feeling nothing but pure awe as the first few stars shot across the night sky in a trail of silver-white fire. That awe quickly turned to fear as the meteors grew both more numerous and also closer to the islands. 

Sora remembers, small and weak and trembling, admitting to Riku that he was afraid. And he remembers Riku standing tall, toy sword held aloft above his head, a picture of strength and light before him as Sora sat crying in the sand. He’d practically been screaming out a challenge to the very sky above, as Riku promised that he would always protect Sora. 

A week later, on the very same patch of sun-bleached sand beside their leaning paopu tree, Riku gave Sora a good luck charm to seal his promise. A silver chain necklace with a crown pendant, which Sora has since rarely taken off.

Especially over the past few years, and since he’s had his keyblade and began his first adventure, Sora’s crown necklace has become his own personal symbol. The only times Sora has not worn his crown necklace, from when he left the islands until now, had been on his trips to Atlantica. Even when he wasn’t human, in the Pride Lands and Monstropolis, the necklace remained in place around his neck. It’s even fully integrated into his costumes in Halloweentown and Christmastown.

At the start of his first journey, before everything went sideways, and for the entirety of his second journey, Sora had thought of his necklace as if it physically tethered his heart back to Riku’s. The idea that the mark on his wrist, almost a perfect match for the pendant, might be a literal bond from Sora’s heart, leading right to Riku’s, makes something pang in his chest. 

It steals the breath from his lungs and leaves him both dizzy and unable to think. It pulls his very gaze back to Riku, leaves him feeling brave and terrified and in awe all at once, just like that night on the play island all those years ago.

But as much as his traitorous heart and mind may wish it, Riku is not for Sora to keep. He’s known that for years now, too, has known since Riku was first named a Master. Riku is not Sora’s to keep, and his memories and wishful thinking will not change that fact.

Sora pulls his gloves from his bag and fastens them over his wrists. In the morning, among his friends, he’ll face the mark again, but for tonight, he hides it, in order to push it from his mind. Riku may not be Sora’s to keep, but his presence would be enough, for tonight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so some of my vindication and my distrust of yen sid snuck it's way in here. oops. then again, so did my love of the necklace theory, so i guess it's not all bad.
> 
> edit: find me on twitter [here](https://twitter.com/acadiawasmine) if anyone wants to come scream about kingdom hearts at me. thank you for reading!


	2. (i'm) half-doomed and (you're) semi-sweet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Riku is used to starting his days alone, taking breakfast on his own as the others sleep on. The Tower is quiet as Riku makes his way downstairs, the same way it always is, which is why it’s such a surprise to find Kairi sitting atop the kitchen counter eating toast. She smiles fondly at Riku when she notices him approaching, scooting over and patting the spot next to her in a clear invitation to sit down. He stands next to her and leans against the counter instead, like he did when she was fourteen and he was fifteen, back on the Destiny Islands.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so i got sidetracked with work and school which is why this chapter took so long- hopefully next time it won't be as long of a wait.
> 
> in other news, as managummi can confirm, i keep getting tangentially related ideas so if i'm not careful this fic and it's exposition problems may just turn into a verse all of their own. oop.

Riku is used to starting his days alone, taking breakfast on his own as the others sleep on. He knows he’s not the only early riser, but he’s always the first one up and about. Master Yen Sid, if he even sleeps at all, rarely ever leaves his study. 

Aqua and Terra always wait for Ventus to wake up before they start their daily routines. Xion will wait for Roxas to wake up if they don’t have an alarm set, and then they’ll send messages back to Hayner, Pence, Olette, and Naminé in Twilight Town while they wait out Lea’s slumber. 

Kairi has the most normal sleep schedule of them all, always waking up at just the perfect time for breakfast. Sora, of course, always sleeps in the longest, whenever he’s not on a mission or doing any important training.

The way everyone’s sleeping patterns work out is fine either way, but it’s more convenient here at the Tower than it is in the Land of Departure. The Tower shifts to meet the needs of all those present, and as such, the closer friend groups tend to share their rooms. 

The Wayfinders and the Sea Salt trios (as affectionately nicknamed by Sora) share their rooms, as Sora and Riku share a room. The only exception is Kairi, who rooms alone at the Tower most of the time because she claims Riku snores (not true) and Sora’s too messy (entirely true). 

On the rare occasions where Naminé visits the Tower, Kairi shares with her. Vanitas does not have or share a room at the Tower because he refuses to visit.

At the Land of Departure, the limited space means that rooms are arranged differently. Aqua shares with Kairi; Terra rooms with Lea; Ventus, Roxas, and Sora have three beds squeezed into their room; Xion and Naminé get along famously; and finally, Riku bunks with Vanitas. 

It’s not a bad arrangement, but Riku honestly prefers to stay at the Tower. He’d never admit that the reason why is because he sleeps better with Sora nearby.

When Riku wakes in the morning before his departure to Acadia with Mickey, it is to the soft orange glow of Sora’s bedside lamp across the room. Sora himself is curled tightly around a pillow, both hugging it close and resting his head on it. He’s drooling onto it as well.

As per his usual routine, Riku makes quick work of getting washed and dressed. His pajamas get wedged into his bag, which he leaves on his bed. There will be plenty of time to retrieve it before he and Mickey leave for Acadia. 

Before he leaves the room to find himself breakfast, Riku crosses over to Sora’s side of the room to turn off his lamp. As Riku dressed, Sora had turned over in his sleep, leaving him with his back to the pillow he’d previously been curled around and his bedsheets pooled around his waist. Gently, so as not to wake Sora, Riku pulls the bedsheets back up over his shoulders. Sora shifts a bit, as though getting comfortable, but he doesn’t wake.

The Tower is quiet as Riku makes his way downstairs, the same way it always is, which is why it’s such a surprise to find Kairi sitting atop the kitchen counter eating toast. She smiles fondly at Riku when she notices him approaching, scooting over and patting the spot next to her in a clear invitation to sit down. He stands next to her and leans against the counter instead, like he did when she was fourteen and he was fifteen, back on the Destiny Islands.

“Good morning, Riku,” says Kairi, and Riku gives her a nod. Although he feels fully awake, he’s never talkative in the mornings. Sora, in contrast, can sometimes be slow to wake, but will hold full conversations before he’s even sat up in his bed.

Still, sociable or not, it’s easy to push the words out if he’s talking to his best friends. “Morning, Kai,” is about the limit of what Riku can reach for the time being, but it’s more than enough for Kairi. She offers Riku half a piece of toast. He accepts it silently but gratefully.

They stay there in comfortable silence for a few minutes, content to share space and munch on toast until Riku feels ready for a real conversation.

“You’re up early this morning,” he observes softly. Kairi nods.

“Time changes,” she admits. Riku nods. Kairi had been in Radiant Garden while Sora was on his checkup mission to Acadia, and they’d both only gone back to the Land of Departure yesterday. 

The time difference between those worlds was already bad enough without adding in the eternal night of the Mysterious Tower. They all keep their Gummiphone clocks set to Land of Departure time while they’re at the Tower, but it’s still no wonder Kairi’s awake so early in the morning.

“You’re up late this morning, Riku,” Kairi says, just as softly as Riku had. Riku nods in return.

“Good dreams,” Riku says, “about Sora.” It’s as easy as breathing to admit it to Kairi. Since the Mark of Mastery, and especially since Sora saved her after the Keyblade Graveyard, Riku has been resolved to always be honest with Kairi, about  _ everything _ . She knows more of his secrets than even Sora does, now.

Kairi bumps Riku’s shoulder and gives him a sweet but knowing smile. She never said anything when he first admitted to her that he had feelings for Sora, but he knows she’d suspected. 

He’s far too familiar with her knowing looks to think she wasn’t at least a bit aware of Riku’s feelings a long time ago. When she’d admitted to him in return that her own short-lived feelings for Sora had been mostly compulsory and that she had a bit more of a leaning to the female persuasion, Riku had given her the same level of agency and respect. Though, he’d honestly begun to suspect as much after witnessing Kairi’s second meeting with Olette in Twilight Town.

“So, what was today’s dream? True love’s kiss? The Symphony of Sorcery, maybe?” Kairi asks, light and slightly teasing. Riku tries to smile back, but he can feel something melancholy inside him smoothing the edges down.

“The mark on his wrist,” Riku admits bluntly. Kairi’s own smile falters for a moment before she tugs it back into place. 

“Do you know who it is?” Kairi asks. Riku shakes his head.

“It’s someone close to his heart. I couldn’t see who it was, but Sora was happy.” In the past, Riku would have felt angry or bitter over something like this, but he’s grown up a lot since he was fifteen and terrified of being in love with his best friend. 

Now, he’s long since learned to push his jealousy aside in favour of the good things. As long as Sora is happy, Riku could take on all the darkness in all the worlds himself, and  _ win _ . 

“At a guess,” says Riku, “I’d say it’s probably Ven or Rox, if it isn’t you.”

The three of them, Ventus and Sora and Roxas, may as well be brothers, and they very well act like it. Sora still visits the Islands regularly to see his mother and grandmother, but the Land of Departure now seems a bit more like his home with how much of his downtime is spent there. 

He and Ventus spend a fair chunk of their time training together, and have even tried out each other’s keyblades. Sora, a natural at all things keyblade-related, had managed to get used to Wayward Wind after just a few minutes. Ventus had seemed a bit slower to take Sora’s Starlight keyblade, hesitant and unsure, before he too seemed to instinctively connect with it. 

They had sparred like that, with the other’s keyblade, for a fair period of time before Aqua had called a truce. Even when they’re not training, it’s plain to see just how similar they are. 

They do resemble each other enough that they have genuinely been confused as brothers before, with their matching grins and identical sky-blue gazes. Even when they’re idle, they have so many of the same habits. Ventus having spent over a decade in Sora’s heart makes it nearly impossible to tell which habit comes from whom.

Roxas is a bit more independent from the other two, having taken the chance to be his own person quite seriously, but Sora and Ventus have most definitely claimed him as their own. Roxas spends his week in Twilight Town, attending school there with Xion and Naminé and their friends, and travels to the Land of Departure over the weekends for keyblade training. Once a month, Roxas visits the Mysterious Tower and Master Yen Sid for progress reports, and to ensure his training is going well. 

He’s also been on several trips with Sora; once as a short mission to Halloweentown, which Ventus accompanied them on, and twice on social visits to some of Sora’s good friends. Sora had taken tremendous pleasure in properly introducing Roxas to his friends in Radiant Garden as his twin. Though Roxas doesn’t seem quite as eager on that front, Riku has overheard him calling Sora his  _ brother _ on several occasions, voice soft and fond.

But if Sora had to have anyone as a soulmate, Riku thinks it would be Kairi. He’s never quite been able to forget the sorrow and desperation in Sora’s voice as he’d demanded to know  _ why _ Xehanort had targeted her. Riku knows he will never forget the determination on Sora’s face as he’d resolved himself to bring her back.

_ “My whole journey began the day I lost her _ ,” Sora had said then, and although it had stung, Riku knew it to be true. Wasn’t that what both Sora and himself had been doing, during that first journey? Riku, bitter and feeling spurned, had thrown himself into the search, desperate to find Kairi before Sora did. 

In the end, he’d found her body first, brought it back to Hollow Bastion, to Maleficent and Ansem, but it had all been for naught. Sora had held her heart, kept it safe, and in the end, he’d given up both body and heart to set her free. Riku may have bought Kairi, Donald, and Goofy time to escape when he briefly overcame Ansem’s possession, but that was nothing compared to Sora’s sacrifice.

Back then, he’d been sure that Kairi was in love with Sora, and that Sora was the most oblivious person on the Destiny Islands to not see it. Now, he knows that there was never any real romance in it for either of them. 

Sora’s drawing in the Secret Place, the one of himself feeding Kairi a paopu, was a product of Sora’s fears about their raft plan. He had admitted to Riku, on the Dark Margin after their battle with Xemnas, that he was sure he’d get separated from Kairi somehow, once they left. 

He’d been beyond sure that they’d find the world Kairi originally came from and that she’d want to stay. If Ansem’s hooded figure hadn’t arrived, Sora had reassured Riku, he would have added Riku to the drawing on the wall too.

Kairi looks at Riku with a somber gaze, and he can see the sorrow hiding there. “Oh, Riku,” she says gently, “it could easily be you, too. You’re Sora’s best friend! No one’s closer to him than you.”

Riku shakes his head. Maybe once, all those years ago before he opened a door he had no business even knowing about, back before his feelings almost destroyed himself and everything he knew, Riku could have been Sora’s soulmate. Not anymore. Not for a long time.

“Sora and I haven’t been close in years,” Riku tells Kairi, and it feels like the biggest lie he’s ever told in his life.

The look Kairi sends him is sad, but there’s something else underneath it too. Riku can’t look Kairi in the eye long enough to figure out what it means.

* * *

By the time Riku and King Mickey are getting the final preparations underway for their trip to Acadia, everyone has long since gotten out of bed and started their day. In passing, they get quite a lot of well-wishes and encouragements of good luck. The final party to see them off, however, is only made up of five people.

Terra, in much the same way he did the first time Riku visited him in the Land of Departure, puts a hand on Riku’s shoulder to give him a few soft words of encouragement, as well as remind Riku that Terra is proud of all that he’s managed to achieve. 

It’s something Riku’s heard from Terra before, usually before missions, and it’s always nice to hear. Riku is equally proud to see how far Terra’s come since the Keyblade Graveyard; they’re both masters, now, equals and friends. Riku trusts Terra with almost everything he is.

Donald and Goofy each give Mickey a friendly hug and promises to watch after Disney Castle and the Queen in his absence. Kairi and Sora both rush to Riku’s side in a similar way, with Sora easily in the lead.

“Riku!” calls Sora. “Hug warning!” Riku opens his arms just in time for Sora to crash into his chest.

The hug warning is a system that nearly all their friends use, though it was originally put in place for Roxas’ benefit. Despite coming from Sora, and likely having some of Ventus in him too, Roxas is not a very physically affectionate person. 

His love language lies more in quiet time spent together, and little heartfelt gifts. The hug warning call from Sora provided a way for Roxas to let him know if he felt up to the affection or not.

Ventus was next to adopt the warning, due to Terra and Aqua’s experiences over that horrible decade being so bad for them, and he’s even gotten Vanitas to accept a handful of hugs that way more recently. Gradually, watching both Sora and Ventus call out those hug warnings got everyone else into the habit. 

Even those on the fringes of their friend group are familiar with it. During his last visit to Twilight Town, Naminé had timidly given Riku a hug warning of her own, which he’d accepted.

Sora’s hug doesn’t last long, maybe about five seconds, but it feels like longer to Riku. Once Sora has let go, Kairi seizes the chance to get a turn of her own, pulling Riku down to her level with her arms around his neck. 

Riku kindly bends down, partly to accommodate her and partly to save himself from impending back pain if he doesn’t. After the same five-second period Sora had, Kairi releases her hold on Riku, and he’s free to stand up again.

“Riku, bring me back a souvenir!” Kairi declares. “Sora forget about me!” She dramatically flops against Riku’s shoulder, and he catches her weight easily.

Sora squawks at Kairi, and reaches for her, but she hides behind Riku. “I brought you back those Twilight Gems and Serenity Shards!” Sora yells. From her hiding spot just behind Riku’s shoulder, Kairi peers out at Sora, and playfully sticks her tongue out at him.

“Synthesis materials don’t count as souvenirs, Sora!” Kairi insists, and before Riku knows what’s happening, the two of them are chasing each other around Riku. Riku can see Terra, off to one side, laughing quietly at Sora and Kairi’s antics.

“Terra,” Riku calls, “help me.” But Terra just laughs a bit more, and stays where he is. Riku doesn’t mind, he really was just joking, and he’s sure that he must have a terribly fond look on his face as he watches Sora and Kairi run literal circles around him. Mickey and Goofy look just as amused as Terra does, watching the trio’s antics, but Donalds seems to have decided to steadily march his way over and put a stop to it.

“Sora,” he calls, “behave!” No matter that Sora is just shy of his eighteenth birthday, or that Donald isn’t going to say anything to Kairi, despite her role as the instigator in this scenario. 

Donald’s calls do spur Sora into stopping, though, leaving him standing directly in front of Riku. This leaves him completely open for Kairi to come around again and tackle Sora in a hug. On the way down, they fall against Riku, and he’s down for the count as well.

Donald lets out a sharp, “Sora!” followed by a long, angry stream of gibberish, but thankfully Goofy has moved forward to hold him back. Sora and Kairi use the opportunity to stand, pulling themselves up and off of Riku in the process. 

When he looks up, Sora is still standing before him, offering Riku a hand. Riku takes it, pushing as Sora pulls, until they’re practically standing toe to toe. Sora steps away first, turning away to look over at Donald and Goofy. 

Donald is still upset, thrashing around in Goofy’s hold like a toddler mid-tantrum. Mickey steps forward, walking around them before stopping beside Riku.

“Gee, we oughta get goin’. It was real nice of you all to come see us off,” says Mickey. Riku gives a nod in agreement, and after one last round of quick goodbyes, Riku and Mickey board their gummiship.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so i went and made myself a [kingdom hearts twitter](https://twitter.com/acadiawasmine) if anyone wants to come make friends or just remind me to work on this fic.
> 
> thank you for reading!!


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